Chet Welch currently works in customer service for a pharmacy that supplies nursing homes and hospitals with resident-specific medications. He has been in the pharmacy business for 20 years. After finishing high school, he attended college classes in business and music.

Welch has lived in Ford City, Pennsylvania, in the same house his entire life, but has traveled throughout the United States. He enjoys swimming, hiking, kayaking, dancing and yoga. Welch describes himself as magical, determined and unknowing. He is most proud of having coached 11 Miss Pennsylvania pageant contenders to win the title (he is a pageant coach for Miss America in his spare time). He believes the fact that he is fit, intelligent, crafty and street/country smart will help him go far on SURVIVOR.

Welch continues to live in Ford City, Pennsylvania, with his significant other. Having rescued animals for 40 years, he currently houses his three dogs (Forrester, Chance and Savanna), along with 15 sheep, 75 ducks and three cats. His birth date is October 22, 1959.

An Armstrong County man will appear on a nationally televised reality show. Chet Welch of Bethel was chosen to test his strength as one of 10 ultra-fan tribe castaways in "Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs. Faves." The show premieres Feb. 7 on CBS.

"It is the only reality TV show I ever wanted to go on and the only one I will do," Welch said. Without auditioning for the chance to outwit other castaways, Welch said he never expected to receive a phone interview with Erika Shay, a "Survivor" casting agent.

"Three years ago, I sent a videotape in. And from the video, from the last three years, there were phone interviews and paperwork," Welch said.

The interview tape highlighted different aspects of Welch's life, including the work he does at Omnicare Pharmacy of Pittsburgh, West, in Robinson, and for the Miss Armstrong County and Miss America pageants.

Welch arrived on the Rock Islands of Palau, Micronesia, a week before the start of filming Oct. 29. He returned home after the competition ended Dec. 6.

Welch was obligated to not reveal who was crowned "Sole Survivor."

He warned viewers, though, of the emotional strains that were put on the castaways.

"I really think that they are going to see it is a very brutal, emotional, physical experience. And, going into it, I thought I was probably very, very, very prepared in every way," Welch said.

"But I was only about 25 percent prepared and everybody felt the same way. There is no way to be prepared to compete in a game like this."

The 16th season of Survivor will premiere at 8 p.m. Feb. 7 on CBS. Watch as Bethel native Chet Welch competes to outwit 19 other castaways and play for a chance to be named "Sole Survivor" and win $1 million.

BETHEL -- Chet Welch knew that without strategy he wouldn't be able to survive. After all, for the past 20 years he has taught beauty pageant contestants how to survive in a sea of beautiful women.

Marooned on the Rock Islands of Palau, Micronesia, Welch was left to endure tropical temperatures and little to no food as he and 19 other castaways competed for one thing -- $1 million.

Welch, of Bethel Township, was chosen to test his strength as one of 10 ultra-fan tribe castaways in "Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs. Faves." The reality TV show premieres Feb. 7 on CBS.

"It is the only reality TV show I ever wanted to go on and the only one I will do," Welch said. Without auditioning for the chance to outwit 19 other castaways, Welch said he never expected to receive a phone interview with Erika Shay, a "Survivor" casting agent.

"Three years ago I sent a videotape in and from the video, from the last three years, there were phone interviews and paperwork," he said.

The interview tape highlighted different aspects of Welch's life, including the work he does at Omnicare Pharmacy of Pittsburgh, West, and for Miss Armstrong County and Miss America.

Welch said in August he flew to Los Angeles where he had 11 interviews in seven days.

The interview process started out with 96,000 applicants and 50 were taken to Los Angeles, he said. The final 10 castaways were chosen from the remaining 50 applicants.

"They liked my outgoing personality, that I am full of excitement and always playing outside of the box and will do whatever it takes," Welch said.

During the interview process, Welch said he was questioned about previous seasons and castaways.

"I was asked who I like the least, who my favorite castaway is, who I would like to play against, and who I wouldn't like to play against," he said. "We didn't know it was 'Fans vs. Faves' until the second the game started when they walked them out."

Welch returned to rural Armstrong County and the farmhouse where he grew up to await a phone call from a member of CBS's legal council.

At the time, only his siblings and significant other knew that he was a contender to be crowned the "Sole Survivor."

"I had good reason to believe I was chosen because I was taken into interviews first," he said. "They didn't tell me officially until three weeks before having to leave."

Welch said his belief also came from having interviews with producer Mark Burnett and host Jeff Probst.

Although he was confident, he was preparing himself for news that he was not chosen.

"It was something I saw happening," he said. "I always prepared myself for it not happening. I wanted to get excited but was preparing not to be."

Welch was notified early October that he was chosen to play the game.

Prior to leaving, Welch consulted a nutritionist to see how to prepare his body for a lengthy period of time with little or no food.

"I worked on my body quite a bit," he said. "People put on weight prior to going on the show but I was told it was much better not to go on with extra weight but rather to be tight and tough."

Welch arrived in Palau a week prior to the start of filming on Oct. 29 and returned home after the game was over on Dec. 6.

"Everyone thought I was away having knee surgery," he said. "For me to disappear for two months is unheard of."

Welch said he owes his pageant girls a lot of credit for helping him in the same way he helps them.

"They (CBS executives) wanted me to use some of the pageant tactics for the tribe on the show," he said. "I owe my pageant girls a lot."

Welch was unable to say whether he was crowned the "Sole Survivor."

But warns viewers of the emotional strains that were put on the castaways.

"I really think that they are going to see it is a very brutal, emotional, physical experience and going into it I thought I was probably very, very, very prepared in every way," he said. "But I was only about 25 percent prepared and everybody felt the same way. There is no way to be prepared to compete in a game like this.

Reality TV World: Did the medics suggest you remove yourself from the game or was that a decision you made on your own?

Chet: When I came back from Exile Island, the doctors checked me before I went into [the Immunity Challenge]. They actually wanted to take me out when they saw my foot.

I asked if I could just go ahead and compete in the challenge and we would probably lose the challenge and I would ask to be voted off that night. That's pretty much how it went.

Reality TV World: Okay, so the injury was so bad that you don't think you could have stayed in the game and helped Tracy Wolf-Hughes, Erik Reichenbach and Ami Cusack eliminate Ozzy Lusth?

Chet: I didn't have a choice. If I would have not been voted out, they would have pulled me right from Tribal Council.

Reality TV World: So the medics let you participate in that Triba Councill with the understanding you were leaving?

Chet: I just didn't want to disappear from the game. I wanted to -- at that point -- stay in and go through the whole rite-of-passage of being voted out.

Reality TV World: So if Ozzy was voted out as a result of that Tribal Council and you were also removed from the game by the medics immediately after [the Tribal Council session] was over, do you know if Ozzy still would have been eliminated?

Chet: Possibly. But again, the game has twists and turns. You never know. I mean, did I actually even trust wholeheartedly what was going on [with the plan to eliminate Ozzy]? I trusted Tracy -- I would have trusted Tracy with my life. Erik, Ami or Cirie... I don't know?

Reality TV World: Based on what we just talked about, I'm assuming the whole Malakal tribe knew the situation you were in, right?

Chet: That is correct, yes.

Reality TV World: What was their reaction to it?

Chet: Basically after we lost the Reward Challenge I just told them, 'I need to go.' And they obliged and I went.

It sucks for Chet that his real foot injury was edited as merely a boo-boo, but other than that I don't think he got a "bad edit." He was obviously HORRIBLE in challenges and useless around camp. His shit-stained undies were also disgusting. His post-show interviews with Jonathon are gold, though.